[tri-med] Re: Candace heart surgery

>Candace will be going to Iowa City for cardiac cath to fix her PDA on May
24.
>I'm very nervous about this - they're sending her home the next day.  Has
>anyone had this done to their kids before and know what to expect or
anything?

Kim,

Kinda, but not exactly.  Here's our story.  Philina had her PDA repair
before
they developed the cath lab surgery for it, so her's was an open chest, but
closed heart procedure, which required a much longer hospital stay.
However,
she did have an angioplasty done in the cath lab at puberty.  That's where
they
feed a deflated balloon up through a valve with stenosis, inflate the
balloon,
and then pull it back through ripping the valve open.  This was done to
Philina's
aortic valve, and she was kept in the hospital for one night afterwards for
observation.  Now the difference between that and what they will be doing to
Candace for her PDA repair is like 180 degrees.  Instead of feeding a
balloon up
through and ripping a valve open they will feed a compressed spring like
devise up
into the valve and release it thus blocking the opening.  It's a much less
invasion
technique then they use to use, with far fewer complications, and a much
shorter
recovery time.  But you still get to worry all you like, because that's in a
Mom's
job description!

Fawna, Research coordinator TRIS Project, mom
to Thom & Rhonda, Lara, & Philina 24yrs (PT6p
& Moya Moya Syndrome), Escondido, CA USA
http://home.mindspring.com/~fawna33/


                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                       www.trisomyonline.org
                  Families Helping Families On-line

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